Page 50 of Meant to be Mine

She picked up her sub and the chips and followed me in. I cleared the corner of the coffee table and we settled onto the couch, angled toward each other with the food between us. I opened my sub and the smell hit me immediately.

“Okay,” she said, already unwrapping hers. “This smells incredible.”

“I know.”

She scrunched her nose before she took the first bite. I watched her close her eyes and slowly nod. It was an image I wouldn’t get out of my head for the rest of my life.

“Oh my God,” she said.

“Right?”

She wiped her lips. “Okay. Tell me about the date.”

“There’s not much to tell.”

“Give me something.”

I opened my chips. “She was perfectly nice. Attractive. I wasn’t in the right headspace.”

“You’ve had a few busy weeks,” she reasoned. She reached over and stole one of my chips without asking. I let her. She’d been doing that for years and I’d been letting her.

“Did you at least try?” she asked.

“I tried.” I leaned back against the couch cushion.

“I’m sorry,” Kensey said. “That’s uncomfortable.”

“I’ve had worse.” I watched her steal another chip. “You know you have your own bag.”

“Yours taste better.”

I grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the corner of her mouth where sauce had collected.

“You went in with your mind already made up,” she said, not unkindly. “That’s not really giving it a fair shot.”

I looked at her. “Are you arguing for me to go back out with the woman I just told you was a bad date?”

“I’m arguing for you to be fair to yourself.” She looked back at her food. “And to her.”

I hated that she was trying to convince me to date. It really pissed me off and made me wonder if she was thinking about dating. That was not an image I wanted in my head.

“How’s the sub?” I asked.

“So much better than the shitty salad.”

“Did your mommy pack you a lunch?” I teased.

“Shut up. She did.”

I laughed again. “You better dump it in the trash or she’s going to know you didn’t eat it.”

“Good thinking.” She got to her feet and walked to the fridge. I watched her pull it open and grab us each a drink. She opened mine and handed it to me.

“Thanks,” I said and took a drink.

She sat back down, sipped her soda, and reached for another chip. I was about to accuse her of theft when she popped the chip in my mouth.

I laughed around it. “Gotcha,” she said. “You thought I was going to eat it.”